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Devens cameras roll on something creepy-good

New England Studios filming 10-part Hulu series based on Stephen King horror stories

By Rick Sobey, rsobey@lowellsun.com

Updated:
06/13/2017 08:03:26 AM EDT

New England Studios at Devens, where filming will soon begin on the 10-episode Hulu series "Castle Rock." COURTESY NEW ENGLAND STUDIOS

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DEVENS -- Stephen King's world is about to take over.

No, residents shouldn't fret about a rabid dog named Cujo running around, nor will people get possessed by supernatural forces.

New England Studios will only have the look of King's fictional town -- Castle Rock, Maine -- the setting of many of his horror stories.

Production crews have already moved in to produce a 10-episode Hulu series this summer called "Castle Rock." It will be a high-profile "psychological-horror series" from well-known executive producer J.J. Abrams and King, according to Hulu.

The production crews are starting to build sets on site. Filming is expected to begin in August and run until January.

Author Stephen King speaks at Book Expo America in New York on June 1. "Castle Rock," a psychological horror series based on his work, will soon be filming at New England Studios at Devens. AP PHOTO

Some of the filming will also take place in Orange -- a small town 45 minutes west of Leominster.

"It's a really exciting and prestigious project," said David Hartman, director of the Massachusetts Production Coalition. "Landing a TV series for the state is a major win, and an indication of how far the industry has come here."

Numerous movies have been produced in the Bay State in the last decade -- "The Town," "Black Mass," "Manchester By The Sea," "American Hustle" and more -- but TV series have stayed away.

Hartman estimated that it's been more than 25 years since a scripted TV series was produced in Massachusetts.

"It's been quite a while," he said. "But now we have the right infrastructure, crew and talent base, and a stable incentive program to land this big one.

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"Once we have one series, it encourages others to look at bringing a series here," he added.

Unlike a movie that will film for only two or three months in an area, officials hope the series will come back to the region for future seasons.

"A good series can keep us busy for quite a while," Hartman said.

"More workers will be here for longer," he added. "It helps increase spending, and supporting local businesses."

Some of the jobs these series bring to the area include electricians, carpenters and accountants. Hotels typically fill up with the talent and production crews.

The series will be based on the characters and stories created by King.

"A psychological-horror series set in the Stephen King multiverse, 'Castle Rock' combines the mythological scale and intimate character storytelling of King's best-loved works, weaving an epic saga of darkness and light, played out on a few square miles of Maine woodland," reads a description from Hulu.

" 'Castle Rock' is an original suspense/thriller -- a first-of-its-kind reimagining that explores the themes and worlds uniting the entire King canon, while brushing up against some of his most iconic and beloved stories," Hulu adds.

Sets are getting built in Devens as the Legislature takes a look at the decade-old film tax credit. Last month, the state Senate adopted a proposal to impose more stringent requirements for studios to qualify. The amendment would save the state about $15 million annually from the $80 million it now extends in credits.

The Senate incorporated the proposal into its budget bill, which will be reconciled with the House budget in a conference committee before being sent to the governor's desk. Gov. Charlie Baker in his first budget proposed phasing out the film tax credit.

Hartman said he hopes the tax credit does not get altered. It's been a "crucial" piece in landing films over the last decade, he said.

"We've been working very hard to advocate for our industry, and make sure there are no changes to impact production," Hartman said.

Film companies can become eligible for the tax credit now if half their production expenditures are made in Massachusetts or if half of their principal photography days are spent in the state, under the law. The proposal would require those companies to either spend 75 percent or shoot 75 percent in Massachusetts to qualify.

New England Studios in Devens was established in 2013. The studio has served as the location for special effects done in "Central Intelligence" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart, as well as a small romantic comedy "Tumbledown," in which Jason Sudeikis and Rebecca Hall shot a scene in a Shirley diner.

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